WELCOME CLASS OF 2020

Welcome to the Nassau Community College Spring 2020 Virtual Commencement Celebration!

This is a momentous milestone in our Graduates lives as we all come together to celebrate their accomplishments. Please take the time to view and listen to the videos below which include congratulatory remarks from SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson, NCC Valedictorian Cristian Barrera, NCC SGA President Vincent Gatto and NCC President Dr. Jermaine F. Williams who will also confer the degrees.

Our Graduates have individualized pages which include a digital diploma as well as personalized photos and quotes that they have chosen to share. Please take a moment to sign their guestbooks and leave a congratulatory message.

And don’t forget to virtually move your tassel and throw your cap in the air!

Let’s Celebrate!

INTERACTIVE PDF

OPENING CEREMONY

The following “Quarantine Choir” performance was done entirely remotely, with students recording individual parts from their homes. Jacob Naverud’s Kuimba Nafsi Yangu [pronounced koo-eem-bah nahf-see yahn-goo] is a celebratory song that derives its text from common Swahili phrases of joy: “Sing my soul, sing my heart. Sing for peace, sing for joy. There is so much to love here, yes!” The musical setting of these words is equally joyous and optimistic; while there is much uncertainty in all our lives, I’m humbled to see the response our chorus (and, indeed, our campus) has shown. Joy and celebration must—and does!—persevere. Special thanks to the NCC Chorus for their dedication, to our accompanist Joe Ferrante, and to our Technical Assistant David Ferraro for helping us put it all together!– Professor Benjamin Arendsen, Director of Choral Activities at NCC

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GREETINGS

SUNY Chancellor

Dr. Kristina M. Johnson joined The State University of New York as its 13th Chancellor in September 2017. With 64 colleges and universities throughout New York State, more than 90% of all New Yorkers are within 30 miles of a SUNY campus. SUNY is the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education. It serves more than 1.3 million students annually, employs more than 90,000 faculty and staff, and connects more than three million alumni around the world.

Dr. Johnson received her B.S. with distinction, M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. After a NATO post-doctoral fellowship at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, she joined the University of Colorado-Boulder’s faculty in 1985 as an Assistant Professor and, later, Full Professor. In 1987, Dr. Johnson co-founded the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Center (NSF/ERC) for Optoelectronics Computing Systems Center at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University, and went on to serve as its director from 1994 to 1998.

VALEDICTORY
REMARKS

Cristian Barrera

Valedictorian

Cristian Barrera is an accounting major who has been a board member of the Alpha Beta Gamma International Honors Society (Executive board: Treasurer- Spring 2019), the Phi Theta Kappa Omicron Sigma Honors Club (Executive board: Secretary- Fall 2019 and Spring 2020), and the Accounting Society (Executive Board: President-Spring and Fall 2019). In his spare time, Cristian loves to practice the guitar, cook, jog, and play soccer.

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Commencement SPOTLIGHT

To the graduating class of 2020, despite the adversities you faced, you persevered and accomplished your goals. For this, we applaud you and look forward to hearing about your future achievements. On behalf of the Executive Board, we welcome you as Alumni of Nassau Community College. Go Lions!

Every graduation of our students is a momentous occasion, because we as the faculty particularly know how hard you work and how many challenges you overcome to persist and succeed. This year’s graduation is an even more impressive testament to your passionate commitment, not only to your studies, but also and more importantly to your humanity. We have witnessed your courage and grit, your dedication in the face of unparalleled threats from this pandemic, and your generosity in helping your families, friends, and even strangers on the front lines where so many of you have worked. Now we bear witness to the joy of your final achievements as our students and our colleagues. BRAVO Class of 2020!! We are so proud to add your names to the thousands of graduates who have gone before you. Aim high and stay safe.

Congratulations to each and every one of our NCC Honors Program graduates! It has been an honor and a privilege to work with you. We are so very proud of all that you have achieved and can’t wait to see what you will accomplish in the future! Keep shooting for the stars, Drs. Cohen and Hynes-Musnisky.

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CONGRATULATORY REMARKS

Vincent Gatto

NCC, Student Government Association President

Vincent Gatto is a liberal arts major who currently is on the Dean’s List, and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Carol Farber Honors Program. In addition to being the president of the Student Government Association, he is a member of the International Students Association and Sustainability Club, and hosts a weekly radio show on the campus radio station, 90.3 WHPC. In his spare time, Vincent leads adventure activities expeditions in the Florida Keys.

Summer 2019 Graduates

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Fall 2019 Graduates

Spring 2020 Graduates

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Summer 2020 Graduates

CONGRATULATORY REMARKS
& CONFERRAL OF DEGREES

Jermaine F. Williams, Ed.D

NCC, President

Dr. Jermaine F. Williams became Nassau Community College’s 7th President on July 1, 2019. He previously served as Vice President of Student Affairs at North Shore Community College and Assistant Vice President for Access, Transition and Success at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). He also held the role of Assistant Dean of Academic Development at NEIU. Prior to NEIU, Dr. Williams worked at Community College of Philadelphia, Temple University and St. John’s University.

His career has focused on a collaborative approach to addressing achievement gaps through an equity-minded and data-informed lens. Dr. Williams is strategically focused on supporting the mission and spirit of community colleges and the concept of higher education as a public good. He has researched, published, provided keynote addresses and presented nationally and internationally on topics such as access, equity and achievement.

Jorge L. Gardyn, MD, FACP

NCC, Board of Trustees, Chairperson

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Nassau Community College I welcome you all to the 60th Commencement Celebration of NCC.

To our Graduates your hard work, dedication and perseverance have brought you to this point. You made it!

You are not the same individual you were when you took your first steps on the NCC campus.

The relationships you have made here, whether it be with faculty members, staff, friends, have been an integral part of your transformation journey here at NCC.

And now you are ready to take the next step with the confidence that your experiences both inside and outside the classroom have provided you with a solid foundation to move forward either with your academic career or in the workforce.

These past few months your lives were turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your courses were transitioned to remote instruction, you were forced to suspend your face-to-face interactions with your instructors, friends, family, coworkers, and you were asked to quickly adapt to this new way of living.

Typically, when I give my Commencement remarks I leave our Graduates with some words of wisdom, life lessons if you will, but for my virtual commencement letter for this class I don’t think that is necessary. In the past few months alone, you have thrived through many obstacles and never lost sight of your goals. You have embraced the challenges and turned them into opportunities. You have shown a level of resiliency that is unmatched as you have quickly pivoted your every-day lives because well, “things happen”, you deal with it and move forward.

You are ready for this next step and remember you will always have the support of your NCC community.

And with that on behalf of the NCC Board of Trustees we say good luck, stay focused, and enjoy the ride!

To all the supporting parents and families who are celebrating this moment this is yours to cherish also.

Your child or loved one has accomplished another milestone in their lives and you have been a part of it.